[CW] Slow cw speed.

[David J. Ring, Jr.]

I for one go up to the Novice bands and search for "real" novices.  Heck, if
they're still on the air, they WANT to do CW.  I like that.

I also spend some time listening to the bands, and I like to "practice" (if
that is what you call it after almost 30 years) my hand key.  People used to
say I sounded like a tape when I sent code with my old Lionel J38 key back
in '65.

So I make a QSO or so.  I try to operate as "perfectly" as possible.  When I
make an error, I send eight dot error sign, and start from the LAST
correctly sent word - just like "Your Novice Accent" that used to be sent to
new hams by ARRL back in the '60s and '70s suggested.

I used the following format - check out the formatting - it makes things
really easy and not confusing:

KA9ABC DE N1EA = R (usually emphasized by a large dash in the middle!) = TKS
INFO ON UR RIG = SNDS GREAT = HR ANTENNA IS DIPOLE UP 30 FEET = AGE HR 52
BEEN HAM 28 YRS = FUN HOBBY = SEND SOME MORE = YOU REALLY SOUND GOOD = HW? +
= KA9ABC DE N1EA K

Of course the double-dash or equals sign is the prosign BT (sent as one
"letter") and the CROSS or + is what we send when we are going to cross over
to receive.  It is sent AR (sent as one group).

The final BT (=) is rather optional but it serves to break up the "message"
part of what was sent and the station identification.

Sometimes I meet these people again on the air, and what I like to do when
they are coming back to me is try to offer them (gently) some small
instruction.

Often these take the form of my saying it is difficult for me to copy
because I have problems hearing their spaces, and could they exagerate their
spacing FOR MY benefit.

When I send this, I try to exagerate the word spacing slightly so they
"hear" what it should sound like.

Remember - THERE IS NO SENDING TEST ANYMORE - so many hams have never
learned to send correctly, or if they were taught, minimum time was spent on
this because it was NOT required to pass the examination.

I give a PART of my operating time to this - but not all.  I also give some
to moderate speed CW, comfortable CW (25 to 35 wpm stuff) and QRQ, although
my "fist" is less precise than it used to be, now having problems with
sending error free above 45 wpm.  Of course, with a keyboard, I can send
faster! That speed is also the speed at which I find it difficult to type
the code down.

On typing code, it is said that a good rule of thumb is that you will be
able to copy code on a typewriter at half your typing speed.  I find this
about true.  The operators that I know who have copied 55 or 60 wpm on a
typewriter could type at 120 wpm.

73

David J. Ring, Jr., N1EA
http://www.qsl.net/n1ea



----- Original Message -----
From: <Ku4uk@aol.com>
To: <cw@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2003 12:10 PM
Subject: [CW] Slow cw speed.


> How many on this site started out on cw at 20 wpm? What I'm getting at ?
> These people that say they will not work Hams running slow CW. Well most
are on
> the air to build up there speed. And they are one of US. We need as many
people
> as we can get. Power in numbers. So please give these 5 or 10 wpm people
some
> help, maybe it will keep them on the air. And someday you may say that guy
I
> use to work at 5 wpm is now blowing me away at 30 wpm   (The  FEW THE
PROUD
> THE CW MAN ).
>
>
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